One of the ash close to us didn’t seem too sure; he still held his weapon. “You left us to die. Why are you back?”
Ryder swallowed hard and I knew that tore him open. “Revenge.”
I was hoping Blue Eyes wasn’t in earshot, because getting Tessa out of here was supposed to be our cover.
“Is it true about the cure?” Jose – who was very close to me now – asked softly. Our eyes locked.
I nodded. “By next week, vampires won’t exist.”
Jose must have seen the intel on the network, because he accepted my assertion with no more explanation needed. He nodded and turned to the rest of the ash.
“Let them through!” he yelled, and just like that the ash parted and allowed us to walk through the front doors of the Hive.
Our easy run was short-lived, though, because the second we entered the foyer and headed into the dark stairwell, all hell broke loose. Vampires were raining down on us like a goddamn dog pile. They weren’t retreating to their safe upper floors, they were fighting. They didn’t trust the ash to guard them anymore, which was smart, but sucked for us.
“Ooofff.” The wind got knocked out of me as a vampire dropped from above, landing half on me and slamming me to the ground so fast my chin cracked on the pavement.
Shots were fired, and in the close quarters it made my ears ring. Suddenly the weight on me lifted and a strong but feminine tatted-up arm was pulling me up. #lifegoals again. Chick was badass to the core.
“Thanks,” I said, pulling my blade from the thigh sheath I wore.
She nodded, sticking close to me as she too pulled her blade. Together we cut our way through the mess of bodies to get to the door that led to the floor which had the elevator down to the pit. I was going for Tessa. She was my sole focus.
“Hit the deck!” Lincoln yelled, and without question I hit the ground as a small but powerful blast rocked the floor above us, slowing the onslaught of vampires.
When we were able to gain our feet again we tried the closest door. It was locked. Of course. Dammit, where was Sam when you needed him? Tattooed chick busted out some device and stuck it in the lock. She tinkered with it and I heard a beep and an airlock sigh. Well, how about that. Looks like we had our female version of Sam. Rocking the silent thing too. Looking over my shoulder I saw Ryder on the front lines fighting back to back with Kyle.
Go or stay? Go or stay? Ryder or Tessa? As if reading my mind, Ryder looked up for a fraction of a second and yelled. “Go! We’ll hold them off you.”
That’s all I needed. I was barreling down the hallway with this chick and a few Sanctum and SWAT on my ass.I’m coming, Tessa. There was only one way in and out of the pit, and luckily it was on a separate grid to the rest of the Hive power. So they couldn’t easily shut the elevator down. Here’s hoping they hadn’t figured out a way.
Using the hand signals Ryder taught me, I communicated with the others behind me about the potential for trouble as we passed the regular elevator and continued on to the gold-colored door. There seemed to be no vamps on this level. Either they hadn’t expected us to try and gain access to the pit … or it was a trap. Probably the second one knowing Fugly. He’d be expecting me to come for Tessa.
Power was still on at the elevator, but that also meant the security was too. Lucky for us, tattoo chick was not only a lethal weapon and lock picker, but she could hack too. Slipping some sort of electronic device from her pocket, she hovered it near the security keypad and within seconds we had access.
The elevator doors opened easily and I stepped inside with the six others. Which actually included Blue Eyes. I hadn’t noticed him until right now. Go observation skills. Our eyes met, and I was struck with the sudden suspicion that Ryder had sent Lincoln along to keep me out of trouble. I inclined my head slightly and he returned the gesture. We were allies in this moment. Badass chick remained close to my side and I was finding her presence as comforting as that of my enforcers. Once we were zooming down, I turned to the others.
“This elevator leads into the Hive prison system. It’s filled with hundreds of cells, so it’s going to be hard to find Tessa. Be on guard, there’ll probably be vampires down here waiting for us. I don’t like that they left this elevator unguarded.”
My plan was to kill any vamps protecting this place and then run through the cells as fast as I could, searching for my bestie. Worst case scenario, I’d scream Tessa’s name at the top of my lungs and hope she responded. I just hoped seven of us were enough to take on whomever was waiting in ambush.
As the doors chimed at the pit floor I fell into formation with the others. I sheathed my knife again and grabbed for the semi-automatic slung across my back. The doors slid open silently and my eyes flicked around the place, trying to determine where the vamps were hidden.
There was nothing.
“Clear,” Lincoln said, before flashing those blue eyes at me to confirm. He knew my senses were much stronger than his. I nodded to assure him it was clear.
Guns still at the ready, we stepped out two abreast. Taking no chances but also not wasting time, we rapidly crossed the stone area, past the front desk which was empty, and into the damp cell area. The smell of this place never left you; it was rank and depressing as fuck. The mumbling and moans coming from the cells as we passed gave me the chills. So far there was no sign of Tessa, and I was for sure thinking they had her stashed right at the back, the hardest place to retrieve her. Of course. With my recent luck I should have expected that.
Chapter 9
We crept along, no one speaking, all on high alert.
I slowed as we passed the third path that veered off the main. A rustle caught my attention a second before someone jumped out of a dim alcove. Without thinking, my arm struck out, slamming the person with an uppercut to the jaw. Around me were the sounds of weapons locked and loaded. It took me a split second to recognize the groan and familiar white coat. Okay, not so white at the moment; it was thoroughly streaked with blood and grime, but still the signature outerwear of the only vampire I trusted.
I threw myself forward in front of the male, holding my arms out as I shouted, “Don’t shoot. It’s Lucas!”
I didn’t relax until all of the team had lowered their weapons. Turning, I found Lucas still rubbing his jaw. His eyes roamed over my new haircut and then a smile graced his lips.
